Plate heat exchanger plate heat transfer crisis? Don't be afraid! These preventive measures can help you easily resolve it!

Real-time monitoring of temperature changes
Let's first talk about the key link of controlling operating parameters, which is by no means a simple operation. Take temperature for example. Imagine that if the plate is in an environment with too high or too low temperature for a long time, it would be a "disaster". Too high temperature will be like a "demon", corroding the plate material and gradually deteriorating its performance. It is like putting a piece of steel in a high-temperature furnace for a long time. Its strength and toughness will decrease, which will seriously affect the heat transfer effect; while too low temperature will make the medium a "troublemaker", solidify or crystallize, and then block the flow channel and hinder the transfer of heat. Therefore, we must be like a rigorous "temperature guard", carefully set and adjust the operating temperature according to the temperature resistance of the plate material, and install sensitive temperature monitoring devices to keep a close eye on the temperature changes at all times to ensure that it stays within the specified range honestly. For example, common stainless steel plates are like "little guys" with tempers. Their operating temperatures generally cannot exceed their design upper limit temperature for a long time, such as 300°C (of course, the specific number depends on the characteristics of the material itself). Once exceeded, trouble will arise.                                                                                               Maintaining stable operating pressure
Pressure stability is also of utmost importance. If the pressure is like a "naughty child", fluctuating violently and operating at overpressure, the plates will suffer and will be "deformed" by pressure, which increases the contact thermal resistance between the plates and naturally reduces the heat transfer coefficient. At this time, high-precision pressure sensors and safety valves come in handy. They are like a pair of "loyal bodyguards". When the pressure approaches or exceeds the pressure limit of the plate, the safety valve will quickly "step forward" and open the pressure relief to ensure the safe and stable operation of the equipment. Just like in the "battlefield" of chemical production, the working pressure of the plate heat exchanger is usually controlled within the range of 80% - 100% of the design pressure, so that the equipment can be "as stable as Mount Tai".                                                                                                                                                  Cleverly adjust and stabilize the flow
Let's talk about the flow. The flow of the medium must be sufficient and stable to pass through the plate, which is the "life channel" of heat transfer. If the flow is too small, it will be like a dry stream, the heat transfer coefficient will be reduced, and it may also cause local overheating or scaling, turning into "hot lumps"; if the flow is too large, it will cause erosion, corrosion and vibration problems, just like a turbulent river hitting the river bank. Therefore, we must reasonably configure power equipment such as pumps according to the design requirements and actual working conditions of the heat exchanger, cleverly adjust the flow, and set up flow monitoring and alarm devices so that abnormal flow conditions can be detected in time and handled quickly. For example, in the "comfortable little world" of the HVAC system, the cooling water flow rate is generally controlled between 0.5-2m/s, so that the heat exchange can be "smooth".                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Filter media anti-deposition and scaling
The next step is to optimize media processing. Before the media enters the heat exchanger, it is essential to install a high-efficiency filter. It is like a "strict security inspector" to keep all "uninvited guests" such as solid particles, impurities, fibers, etc. in the media out of the door. Because once these guys enter, they are likely to "set up camp" on the surface of the plate, deposit, scale or block the flow channel, increasing the heat transfer resistance. The accuracy of the filter should be selected according to the nature and cleanliness of the medium, generally between 10-100μm. Take the heat exchanger with river water as the cooling medium as an example. The river water is like a "hodgepodge" with everything in it. At this time, you can choose a filter of about 50μm, and clean or replace the filter element regularly to ensure the filtering effect and let the medium enter the heat exchanger "cleanly".                                                                  Chemical treatment slows down corrosion
For media that are prone to scaling or corrosiveness, chemical treatment is our "secret weapon". For example, adding scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors and other chemical agents to the water, these agents are like "little guards" that can inhibit the formation of scale and slow down the corrosion rate. However, when using chemical agents, you must not be careless. You must strictly follow the instructions and operating procedures for adding and monitoring the agents to ensure that the concentration of the agents is within the effective range. If the agent is excessive or insufficient, it will cause adverse consequences, just like adding too much or too little salt when cooking. In some industrial circulating water systems, regularly adding an appropriate amount of scale inhibitors and corrosion inhibitors according to the water quality can effectively extend the cleaning cycle and service life of the plate heat exchanger, allowing the equipment to "extend life".                                                                                                                                                                                                                Regular maintenance should not be neglected. First of all, cleaning work, we need to develop a regular cleaning plan like a "schedule". According to the use of the heat exchanger and the medium, it is generally cleaned every 3-12 months. There are two cleaning methods: chemical cleaning and mechanical cleaning.